Fuyu ~ Winter
by Mink
Summary: A winter blizzard splits the Souma family into several cliques. Hatori-centric. A bit of HatorixTohru, as well as YukixHaru, KyouxKagura, HiroxKisa, HatorixAyame, etc. ...


FUYU  
Chapter 1: Of Things to Come  
by Emily K.  
---  
  
The Souma main house was characteristically quiet. Birds did not chirp   
around here for fear of a certain resident; only a simple bird visited him,   
and that bird did not sing. It observed with beady black eyes, and this   
morning, it had realized that That Person was not sitting outside today   
on his porch of his door. Instead, the windows were tightly drawn and   
the door remained shut. Finding no recluse for the day, the bird fled.  
  
Inside the room, Akito lay on his futon, sitting up with his back propped   
against many pillows. Within the shadows of his room, it remained as   
bleak as nighttime, even in this morning. Above his bed stood Hatori,   
silently listening to Akito's heartbeat with his stethescope.  
  
"Heartbeat - normal. Blood pressure is normal as well," Hatori dictated,   
slowly getting up and removing the cold steel of the instrument from   
Akito's bared chest, and quietly closed up his kimono robes. "But you   
have what sounds like the beginnings of a cold. It's best to stay in bed   
and not wander outside for a few days, Akito. You know how it is."   
Quietly, Hatori began to pack up his belongings in his bag, and took   
out a small clear bottle; red capsules within the medicine bottle. "Take   
two a day."  
  
Akito sneered from the bed. "I'll be fine anyway," he argued childishly,   
but was already grasping for the glass of water nearby, and popping one   
of the pills.   
  
Hatori did not exit, continuing to stare at him.   
  
"It's supposed to snow."  
  
Akito arched an eyebrow, looking up at Hatori.  
  
Hatori avoided his gaze. "A lot."  
  
Akito's eyes strayed towards one of the windows, and Hatori sighed,   
getting the message, as he got up and opened one of the windows   
slightly.  
  
"Open it wider," Akito commanded. "I need sunlight."  
  
"You'll find no sunlight today," Hatori insisted, but opened the window   
wider. A familiar chirp of a bird was heard outside. Already, Akito was   
drawn to the outside, but stayed put, making no struggle to get up and   
go out as he normally did whenever Hatori had come to check up on   
him.  
  
"Akito," Hatori warned sternly.  
  
His relative looked up at him innocently. "What?" he said in an   
exasperated tone of voice.  
  
"Don't go wandering outside until you get better. With the cold weather   
that's coming up, I don't want your health to worsen." Hatori turned   
around, ready to leave. "Besides, you shouldn't be laying outside in   
this time of the year anyway. You're too frail and weak against winter to   
fight off colds properly."  
  
"What does it matter?" Akito shot him a sly look. "You won't be here   
for a while to watch up on me, anyway. You're going to the resort   
home, aren't you?"  
  
Hatori's neck snapped around, surprised eyes staring at Akito.   
  
"How did you know?"  
  
Akito shrugged, smirking. "Honda-san is quite the chatter," he said   
simply, and turned on his side on the futon.  
  
Hatori blushed -- a rare moment; he had probably only done so perhaps   
one or three times in his life -- and quietly left the room.  
  
---  
  
The sky was a gray color, and Hiro grimaced. If the weather kept up   
being this chilly, his plans for the amusement park "date" with Kisa   
would be ruined, and then he would be forced to retreat back home,   
since Kisa couldn't be with him too much today, anyway. Had   
"important plans" with that idiot Honda Tohru girl. Plans he apparently   
couldn't participate in, according to the apologies that Kisa gave him   
that he couldn't come with her this time.  
  
His eyes rolled up the sky again, as he surveyed the near-empty street.   
The sky was pregnant with a premonition of things to come. Hiro had   
heard on the news this morning that snowfall was expected -- if things   
worsened, even a blizzard. Normally, he would be happy at the news;   
snow was a rare thing -- especially lots of snow, he was hearing --   
even if he didn't like the cold, like the majority of Souma members.   
  
But today, snow had not been on his plans, and snow was not what   
he needed.  
  
Angrily, he checked his watch, and felt impatience boiling his blood.   
Where was Kisa? She was nearly fifteen minutes late. Naturally, he   
felt no anger towards her, but towards cause of her lateness -- most   
likely Tohru. His eyes suddenly narrowed. Or bullies? Kisa had   
mentioned quietly last week that there were several "troublesome" kids   
at her school.  
  
Just as he felt uneasy, a familiar person came running towards him.  
  
"Hiro-chan!"  
  
The young boy felt his heart do a sporadic series of jumps as he   
looked up eagerly. Kisa ran towards him, panting, and stopped in front   
of him, coughing briefly.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm so late, Hiro-chan," she said, sincerely apologetic, as   
she looked at him beggingly to forgive her. She brushed her blonde   
bangs out of her eyes. "Shigure-ojichan wanted me to come by and   
pick up something for Mama." She held up a small parcel. "I didn't   
want to waste any more time, so I came here straight away." She   
coughed again.  
  
Hiro blushed, seeing her look at him like that, and looked away quickly.   
"Th-that's fine," he stammered. "Whatever. It's not like I cared about   
you being late or anything." He shoved his hands in his pocket.  
  
Kisa's eyes gazed up at the sky. "It's supposed to snow today," she   
said quietly.  
  
"We can make it there on time," Hiro said through gritted teeth,   
starting to walk down the streets. "We can at least get on a few   
rides before the snow starts falling."  
  
The girl nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry... I should've been here earlier."  
  
"Forget about it. It's not your fault." Hiro began to think of ways to   
hurt Shigure for making Kisa late for their precious time together.  
  
The two walked down the street, walking side by side. They trudged   
in silence, until Hiro asked nonchalantly, "How's school. I mean, the   
kids and all."  
  
Kisa's eyes widened in what seemed like surprise -- Hiro caught the   
look, and stared at her quizzically, but Kisa quickly covered it up,   
saying, "Oh! It's going fine. Much better. I'm going to continue trying   
my best... because everyone's there for me... Onii-chan-tachi, Onee-  
chan... and you, Hiro-chan..."  
  
Hiro flared scarlet, but said nothing for a moment. "What about those   
bullies you were talking about?" he questioned.  
  
This time, the flinch from Kisa was unmistakable. Hiro narrowed his   
eyes in suspicion. His cousin replied quietly, "Oh... it's fine.   
Everything's good at school," she said as calmly as she could muster.  
  
Hiro felt his heart tighten. Was this what it felt like to be in love; the   
pangs of guilt that he felt for not being able to protect Kisa? Kyou had   
ridiculed him before, saying people as young as him didn't feel /true/   
love. But what did that stupid cat know anyway. He was too busy   
drooling over Tohru, Hiro thought with a smirk, that even he wouldn't   
know what real love was.  
  
He scowled. "Kisa, if anyone's bothering you, just --"  
  
Kisa quickened her pace. "Isn't it weird how everyone makes plans   
during this big blizzard weekend?" she interrupted him. "Everyone's   
going today."  
  
"'Everyone'? Who's everyone?" Hiro asked, sighing, allowing Kisa to   
interrupt him. He'd interrogate her about school later.  
  
"Well, you and I are going to the amusement park. Kyou-oniichan is   
going with Kazuma-ojisan to train for this entire week." Kisa paused.   
"Yuki-oniichan's sick, so Haru-oniichan is staying by his side and   
watching him, since Shigure-ojichan is taking a short 'vacation' to avoid   
his editor." Staying around at Shigure's home had provided a plentiful   
source of information and gossip for Kisa. "And Onee-chan's going to   
the Souma resort house with Hatori-ojichan." She coughed again.  
  
"That's not everyone," Hiro corrected her, but without fire behind his   
words; more or less as a remark. His brain suddenly caught up with   
his ears. "Nn? That girl's going with Hatori?"  
  
Kisa nodded, keeping her head facing the ground. "Yup. Hatori-ojichan   
invited her."  
  
At that moment, Hiro sniggered. "To do something naughty, I gather."   
He collected himself when he noticed Kisa staring at him, shocked,   
as she blushed. "I was kidding," he said quickly, not wanting to be   
on bad terms with Kisa. "Just kidding." Under his breath, he added,   
"I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
Kisa shrugged. "Kisa's not worried too much about Onee-chan," she   
said slowly, "but more about Yuki-oniichan. Maybe we should visit."   
Her tone had a ring of reluctance. "Yuki-oniichan gets sick a lot... and   
I don't want Haru-oniichan to be stuck..."  
  
Hiro knew too much for his own good, and quickly brushed that off.   
"Nah, don't worry about that. "Haru, I'm betting, will take care of him."   
He paused. ("And do some other things, too, if he had his way," he   
muttered to himself with a snicker.) He sighed -- Kisa was worrying   
too much about /other/ people on /their/ day together.  
  
Swiftly, he took her hand, as he began to quicken his pace. His ears   
went on fire as he grasped her hand, and amid a blushing face, he said   
quietly, "Come on. Let's get there before the snow hits and gets bad."  
  
Kisa stared at him, her hand in his own, and then she smiled warmly.  
  
"OK."  
  
---  
  
Yuki drowsily opened his eyes; staring deeply into the eyes of Haru,   
who peered at him as he sat on a chair backwards by his bedside.   
  
"'Morning."  
  
If he had been sitting in a chair, Yuki was sure he would have fallen   
over. He nearly fell from his bed, dizzy with a fever and woozy with   
medication, as Haru grabbed his shoulders quickly, and gently leaned   
against his array of pillows.  
  
"Haru...?" Yuki said weakly. "What... what are you doing here...?"   
A sick cough shook his body. He proceeded to sigh with exasperation   
as Haru quietly brushed his silver hair out of his eyes, then stroke his   
cheek. If he was blushing, it wasn't noticeable; his cheeks were   
already tinged with a rouge-ish pink color from his fever anyway.  
  
Haru gave a nonchalant shrug. "You're so wound up. Relax." He   
let his fingers curl around a strand of hair, annoying Yuki even further,   
and then finally propped up his arms on the top of the chair, resting   
his chin on top. "What am I doing here? Good question."  
  
"... Honda-san. Where is she?" Yuki demanded. His own worried   
eyes missed the quick odd look in Haru's eyes -- rather, he saw it,   
but some strange fear inside him told him to ignore it and brush it   
aside. Even to himself, his words had a selfish hollow ring to it.  
  
Haru looked away, staring outside the window at the steel-toned sky.   
"Didn't she tell you? Well, you must've slept in quite a bit yesterday.   
She looked after you all yesterday during your cold."  
  
"I know that," Yuki replied. "But where is she? This morning?" He   
paused, his ears straining through the silence of the walls. "And   
everyone? It's too quiet. Eerily quiet."  
  
A wry grin parted Haru's lips. "Hatori's off to clean up the Souma   
resort home. 'Papers and junk to clean out,' he said. Said that this   
was the best time of the year." He snorted. "Best time my ass..."   
he murmured quietly.  
  
Yuki stared at him quizzically for a moment, and then his eyes   
softened as he too stared outside. "I see," he said quietly, finally   
understanding. "I see what this is all about."  
  
"... Yeah. Well, actually, Honda-san offered to come and help him."   
Haru shrugged. "Then she remembered you, but I told her that I'd   
take care of you." He gave a slight smile. "After a bit of convincing,   
she agreed to go off with Hatori." Arching an eyebrow, he quickly   
added before Yuki could open his mouth again, "And she'll be away   
for a day, I'd think. Two days max."  
  
Yuki's face fell a bit. "Oh." His eyes cast downward, when he was   
quickly slapped in his face by his own rudeness and inconsiderate   
actions. Abruptly, he looked up at Haru, his eyes fierce with apology.   
"Uh... that's not to say I don't mind you being around here. It's better   
than being alone. Thanks, Haru. Really." He smiled wanly, and   
Haru gave a surprised but pleased quick grin.  
  
He nudged a tray by Yuki's bed. "Drink up," he ordered. "Soup.   
Honda-san's packing her things now to leave, so I told her I'd feed   
you." He picked up a spoon. "Do you prefer spoon-feeding? Or   
licking it from the droplets that I get on my fingertips?" Haru asked   
in a quiet grave voice.  
  
Yuki facefaulted, sighing with irritance. "Haru..." he said warningly.  
  
Haru scooted closer to his bed. "Just because you're sick doesn't   
mean we have to sacrifice closeness, na, Yuki?" His face was point-  
blank serious, and he stared at Yuki for an answer.  
  
His relative simply gave an exasperated sigh as he fell back on his   
pillows, closing his eyes and attempting to forget that he would be   
at the service of Haru, of all people.  
  
... At least it was better than Ayame.  
  
---  
  
The train was crammed with people, and Kyou writhed against the   
mash of bodies. He wondered where all these people were going   
this January. It was wintertime. Post-holidays. No shopping. No   
stress. Being with too many people made him panic.  
  
On the seat in front of him on the train, Kazuma softly patted Kyou's   
hand to calm him down. "Kyou? It's perfectly fine with me if you   
want to sit down," he said, offering to get up. His student, however,   
shook his head fiercely, opting to stand up against the people.  
  
Kazuma had suggested the idea of training up at the mountains in   
the cold weather. "Builds resistance," he had preached to Kyou.   
"When fighting, you have to be prepared in every situation. This is   
a good time for you to grasp the concepts of fighting in different   
environments." Kyou had eagerly jumped at the idea to join Kazuma   
at the dojo up at the mountains. It would definitely give him a chance   
to improve better.  
  
Not to mention that Yuki was sick. With Yuki being sick, Kyou's   
estimations stated that Yuki would probably recover in about a week,   
give or take. Or a few days. But Yuki was naturally sickly -- his   
cool fighting exterior that always smashed Kyou into the cold asphalt   
contradicted that, but it would take Yuki a while to recover from his   
cold. His perfect attack timing would be during the recovery period.   
Not near the end of the period -- by then, Yuki would have gotten all   
his strength back, or enough of it to pummel him into losing again.   
And not too early during the recovery period -- strangely, Yuki was   
even stronger then, just like when he was half-awake. It would have   
to be in between -- and Kyou would be home in time.  
  
"You're in deep thought." Kazuma's voice interrupted his thoughts.   
"Plotting something?"  
  
Kyou shrugged, but smiled in spite of himself. "You could say that,"   
he said slowly.   
  
Kazuma arched an eyebrow, looking curious, but did not prod further.   
"Hungry?" he asked. "It's almost noon, and you didn't get breakfast."   
He opened up a bag and took out a boxed lunch. "Luckily, I think   
we can move onto lunch now... Hungry?"  
  
At this point, the train stopped, and several passengers filed out.   
Kyou quickly took the empty seat next to Kazuma, staring hungrily   
at the lunch, and Kazuma handed the lunch over to him. Opening   
it up, he began to eat ravenously and quickly, holding the bento as   
close to his face so his chopsticks would have to travel the   
shortest distance to his mouth.  
  
His teacher watched quietly, his eyes filled with mirth. "Slowly,"   
he admonished. "You're going to have a heart attack at the rate   
you're going." Kazuma took out his own lunch, but did not eat.  
  
"Don't forget to call once we arrive at the dojo," Kazuma said. "To   
tell them you arrived safely."  
  
Kyou sighed. "Shishou, for the last time, no one cares --"  
  
Kazuma shook his head. "We're supposed to have a snowstorm.   
It's a bit rare, I know... but nevertheless, we don't want to worry them.   
We might even be caught up." He glanced out the window as the   
train was now proceeding out a tunnel. "Kyou?"  
  
"... All right, all right." Kyou nodded, and picked up his chopsticks,   
returning to his lunch.  
  
"... This is really good. Why don't you try it?" Kyou asked, shoveling   
food into his mouth.  
  
Kazuma smiled wryly. "Don't worry, I'll eat it in a bit. I'm glad you   
enjoy it so much."  
  
"How can I not? Tohru's cooking is good," Kyou said with an edge of   
bashfulness.  
  
Kazuma blinked. "Honda-san...?" He looked startled, and then chuckled.   
"Oh, Kyou. Honda-san didn't make your boxed lunch."  
  
Kyou blinked, the food stopping halfway to his mouth. "Eh? She didn't?"   
He paused. "Did you make it?"  
  
"Er... actually, no..."  
  
"I'm so glad you enjoyed my cooking!"  
  
The voice was enough to make Kyou's hair stand up. A chill ran down   
his spine and slowly, he looked up, his skin prickling.   
  
A girl smiled at him, beaming. "Kyou-kuuuuuuuuuun!" she said,   
promptly grabbing a hold of his neck and wringing it tightly, making   
his face turn blue. "How. Dare. You. For. Not. Telling. Me.   
Where. You. Were. Going. With. Shi. Han!!" She proceeded to   
bash his side onto the rim of the window--  
  
A black-eyed Kyou managed to look up weakly, dizzy with fright.  
  
"WHO INVITED KAGURA ON THIS TRIP?!"  
  
(Kazuma laughed. "Ehehe... well, we did need someone to cook...")  
  
---  
  
tsuzuku 


End file.
